May 2, 2010

window seat taa-daa!

Confession:  I lost the 'before' picture for this project.

I swear I took the pic.  But where is it?
I've search through the endless piles of photo chaos on my computer.  Oh, don't judge me.  You know the photo chaos...you've been lost in it too. 
The abyss of unmarked photos scattered all over your computer.  

Promise: I promise to save my pictures in a marked and uber-organized way.  At lease until I'm in a hurry or the cheese quesadillas are burning...

Craigslist rules!  I found a photo similar to the coffee table I originally bought.
My coffee table cost me $10 bucks.  But, I needed a window seat!  
I was looking something with modern lines and a neutral feel.

TAA-DAA!!




This was an easy project with some basic upholstery. 

Step #1: Prep and paint the wood frame.
After removing the lovely smoke mirrored glass, I painted the table and then sanded up the edges a bit to let the dark wood show through.

Step #2: Cut some wood board to replace the glass mirrors. 

Step #3: Cut a piece of foam for the bench seat.  The best way to cut foam is a band saw.  But if you don't have one, the second best way is with a sereded kitchen knife.
Glue the foam to the board using spray adhesive.


Step #4: Using a staple gun, cover the foam with a liner cloth. 
Securely staple on the backside of the board.  Use a firm even pressure around the edges.  As you can see in the picture, I use my body weight to push foam in and then staple the fabric.  This makes a nice rounded edge on your seat. 


Step #5: Cover your seat with the upholstery fabric.
Using the same technique as the liner cloth, use a firm even pressure and staple the fabric in place.  Always cut away and excess fabric.  Pull your corners in and staple them like crazy. Remember, the underside of your project doesn't have to look perfect.  This is not an art of perfection...and that's why I love it!  Also, I'm using an air powered staple gun, which is the bomb.  If you don't have access to one of these, a hand powered gun is great.  I've done many many project with a hand gun.
Step #6: Staple your trim.
Adding a trim gives finished look to your project.  Here I choose a burlap natural fiber that fit in with my neutral scheme.  Simply, staple the trim along the edge of your board. 
 
Here's a trick I learned from a great upholsterer, when the two ends of your trim meet, simply unravel the ends, cross them over each other and staple in place on the underside of the board. This way your cushion will fit perfectly without the added bulk of the extra trim.


 Step #7: Put your bench together.
Add a few L brackets to secure your seat.

That's it!
Enjoy your bench!




55 comments:

  1. Seriously amazing, yes you are.

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  2. Jeni, that is AMAZING! Great job!

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  3. get outta town. no, really. are you kidding me with this?! you just reached a whole new level of genius, girlfriend. kudos to you and your super brain ;)

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  4. Brilliant!!!!!! I too love craigslist!! Stop by my post I did yesterday and check out what I scored for free!!! ;)

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  5. Beautiful! Makes me want to invest in a staple gun.

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  6. great makeover! love the tips on how to upholster.

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  7. Love love LOVE it! Going to keep my eyes open looking for a similar piece now!

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  8. Great job! Your upholstery skills are amazing!

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  9. WoW!! That is awesome!! :)

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  10. Ohhhhhhhh, to have your VISION! I would have walked past that table in a heartbeat. But you've turned it into something I would have paid a lot of money for! Great job. :)

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  11. I LOVE IT! I just did a coffee-table-to-ottoman project in December and gave it as a much needed gift for someone. Now I'm dying to do my own. I just love these projects and yours turned out totally amaaaazing!! I just love the choice of fabric too.
    Lisa

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  12. How awesome! I love it!! Great job! You've inspired me!

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  13. It's stunning! It's hard to believe it went from a coffee table to that! Great job!

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  14. Love how that turned out!!!

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  15. Wow! What a redo! I would love for you to show this on Modern Craftswoman Mondays! You are very creative and did a very neat, professional job. Congrats! Rory

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  16. Great job!! I need to keep my eyes open for old tables like that. :o)
    Sincerely ~ Trish

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  17. Fabulous job! I see those at GW every now and then and would have never thought about a window seat.

    thanks so much for sharing.

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  18. This is awesome! What a great job - and vision. I want to make one, now!

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  19. I tweeted this @dreamynest

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  20. I love it! The fabric, the color, the trim, everything!

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  21. Absolutely amazing! Seriously terrific work!

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  22. Wow - there is help for all of that hideous furniture of the '80s. This is definitely going on my "Crafty to Do List". Thanks!

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  23. I had to join as follower! Just stumbled upon your blog from over at The Shabby Chic Cottage. I definitely want to do this by covering the top of a coffee table and use it as a bench at the foot of our bed. Someday....great job!

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  24. I LOVE LOVE THIS! It looks so clean and it is just so clever! I would love to feature it, let me know if you are interested!

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  25. Amazing as usual! I love it... I need a window seat too! Great job! :)

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  26. Yep - ditto. I love it too! Fabulous job and what a great idea!!

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  27. I have been thinking about making a window seat. Great tutorial!!!! Thanks so much!!!! :-)

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  28. Beautiful!!!! Love the finish you chose.


    My Show n Tell is "A VERY 'FAMOUS' PERSON AUTOGRAPHED HIS BOOK FOR ME"

    Do come see who it is, won't you? Happy Friday.

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  29. Lovely result. And great job with the upholstering.

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  30. Simply amazing! You see those kinds of tables at thrift stores and garage sales all the time. I'll never look at them in the same "uninterested" way.

    So creative and beautiful!

    Cori
    Starview Sonnet

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  31. That's one fabulous transformation. Jane F.

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  32. Ok, i will not pass up those glass top tables anymore! This is fabulous!

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  33. You are a rock-star! Ten bucks? Very nice.

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  34. very inspiring- looks great

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  35. Way to see past the 70's glass table! I LOVE it! Thanks for linkin' up to the POPP.

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  36. Love it, love it, LOVE IT!!!

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  37. AnonymousMay 08, 2010

    gorgeous! love the fabric you used as well!

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  38. I really needed this tutorial, thank you! We have a glass paned coffee table, that belonged to my parents. It's outdated, but also my husband sat on and broke one of the glass panes. I'd always planned to do something similar to this, but getting the ins and outs from somebody who has already done it, you just made my day! Thanks!

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  39. Very cool, never would have thought to do something like this with a coffee table. I like it alot

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  40. That is super cool! Thanks for the post.

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  41. So original! Hope you don't mind that I included this in my Special Features post here:
    http://lessthanperfectlifeofbliss.blogspot.com/2010/05/special-features.html

    Great job!

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  42. I ♥ this! its really pretty! and careful with the multi-tasking...don't wanna burn the quesadillas...lol sounds alot like me :)

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  43. Very impressive! I'm not sure that piece would've spoken to me. It was brilliant to uphoster boards and make it a window seat. Beautiful job.

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  44. AnonymousMay 12, 2010

    This is adorable! Very inspiring. Thanks for sharing such a useful tutorial!
    -Arielle

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  45. I have a table exactly like this one. It is missing the glass and I have been searching for a while of an idea of how to redo it. This is exactly what Ive been looking for!!! Im so excited, I cant wait to start my project.

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  46. This makeover is fabulous! I never would have guessed that up-do-date pretty bench started out as that out-of-date coffee table. Great tip on the edges of the trim & unraveling them to tuck!

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  47. Fabulous! I posted about it on my blog - http://firstadream.blogspot.com/2010/06/amazing-ideas-out-there.html

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  48. Love this window seat idea, I instantly envisioned it as an end-of-bed seat, too! I plan to duplicate your work very, very soon. Couple of questions: 1) How much upholstery fabric did you need? (I have the perfect fabric in mind, on sale now, but still need to snag the table). 2) I've never heard of others using an upholstery liner cloth. What type of fabric is it? What is the logic for using it?

    Thanks!
    -- Erin

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  49. Erin, I can't wait to see your bench! If I remember right I used a total of 3 yards of fabric. 1 1/2 yards for each side. As for the liner, I use any kind of lightweight plain colored cotton fabric. whatever's on sale or in my fabric scraps. The reason I use this is it helps create my cushions shape. I used a fairly stiff foam and if you look at the pics the edges of my cushions have a beveled look. I use a lot of pressure when I attach the liner so that my edges are completely smooth and beveled looking. The liner just helps you create the shape of the cushion and I think it makes your final project more professional looking. You wont have as many problems with puckers and uneven edges. Hope this helps. Email me if you need anything else! Send me pics when you're done!

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  50. I am inspired!!!!! what kind of paint did you use?

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